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It’s an action packed week this week, so I’m sneaking out from behind all the piles of stuff that usually prevent me from reaching my keyboard to point at things and go “that looks fun!” while you all ignore me because no one even kids on to read the blog anymore, with good reason.

You may detect a hint of smugness through this blog entry. Loads of the bands playing this week have done Aye Tunes gigs before, proving that not every band that does one then splits up or plummets to failure.

Now:

My handsome Welsh friends FALLS, who played up here for a gig the other week for me that was, happily, not a financial disaster, have released their very first proper EP today. You can get a copy of Dirtbox here, as a pay what you want download.

The Spook School play Glasgow! This is more exciting to me, since I’ll be going. Me missing The Spook School in Glasgow is a rare occurrence. They’ll be bringing Heathers with them to The Roxy 171, where they’ll be joined by Mistake Pageant and old pal of the blog Kevin P. Gilday. Many years ago Kev & The Spook School both did a gig together for me, so I’m going to claim all the credit for this, even though it doesn’t belong to me.

Wednesday:

Campfires In Winter play at Bar Bloc, in what they say will be their last headline gig in Glasgow for a while. Go see them while you have a chance then. Also stick a note in your diary that there’s a new Campfires single coming out on the 12th of May and keep a few quid ready for that.

Thursday:

The Last Battle have been working on their second album for what feels like an eternity. Their Chinese Democracy is finally ready for public consumption – and very enjoyable an album it is too. This is the first of their album launches, taking place at The Roxy 171. Support comes from Neil from Meursault and Adam from Randolph’s Leap. Lay Your Burden Down, the new The Last Battle album, is available here.

Friday:

Edinburgh gets a chance to in in on The Last Battle album launches. They’ll be at the Liquid Rooms, joined by Lidh and J. Wright Presents.

Back in Glasgow it’s another album launch, as Poor Things through a party to welcome their first, self titled, album into the World. Helping them party down at Stereo are the fantastic Book Group, who have a new EP of their own imminent, and the far from shabby Secret Motorbikes. You can get tickets, or a ticket and album bundle for the gig here.

Saturday:

“Jim, how can we end such a fun packed happy week?” you ask? Well, how about going to see anther of the blog favourite bands play their last gig? That’s right, those bastards A Fight You Can’t Win will be breathing their last at Opium in Edinburgh on Saturday, with Hagana and Birdhead helping give AFYCW a fine send off. I can’t make it to this because I’ll be stuck at work, which will save me crying on folk on the Cowgate I suppose.

It’s been a while, both since I blogged anything, and since I did a gig type thing. Time to dust off some cobwebs then.

There’s a gig next Wednesday, April 16th. My first one a good nine months, so it’ll be like a little newborn baby. Well, there might be some screaming and crying certainly, but we’ll try not to rip your perineum to shreds.

Literally the first band put on at a solo Aye Tunes gig, having opened the show at the first event back in January 2011, Boygirlanimalcolour are just back from a lengthy break themselves. I got along to their first gig in three years or so recently and had just as much fun as I did back in the olden days. Describing themselves as 90’s emo throwbacks, expect loud noises, jumping around, and music much more complicated than the jumping around makes it look.

Another band I’ve had before, returning with me for more loud fun. Falls played an Aye Tunes gig a couple of years ago in the days before The Captains Rest closed, which ended up being one of the sweatiest moments of my life. I’m not really seeing this one being much drier, just taking place a wee bit down the road. This time round they’ll be bringing with them their very first proper release, the Dirtbox EP, to launch. Possibly literally, so prepare to duck. Big riffs, huge hooks, loud noises, shouty. Essentially all of the Aye Tunes favourite things. Also Welsh, handsome and heavily tattooed, so take note people who are into those things.

Here’s a teaser for Dirtbox.

Bonus, here’s one of the songs from the EP, Hammers?

The Black Art

Joining the two returning bands are The Black Art. This isn’t just their first Aye Tunes gig, but their first gig anywhere ever. The Black Art say that they are a 2-piece loop-savvy duo that make a considerable racket that lands somewhere between QOTSA and That Fucking Tank. Sounds good to me. Get down early to catch their first performance. You might even already know the men behind The Black Art from past bands.

All this is happening on Wednesday April 16th at The Roxy 171 on Great Western Road. That’s a tiny wee place, so if you are super eager to make sure you can get in you can buy a ticket in advance here.

Bringing a pal? There’s a bundle deal available online only, where you can get a pair of tickets for £8, saving you money to buy chips. Or, if you are bringing a very special friend, some mints and some protection.

Things should kick off around 8pm and it’ll cost you five quid on the door or in advance. That’s right, ONLY five pounds. None of that six quid ticket nonsense for me, cause it saves me messing about with pound coins as much.

If you are into that kind of thing you can say you are coming on Facebook here.

We’re far enough into the new year now that no one cares what happened in 2013, aren’t we? A music blog isn’t a music blog without some form of list making exercise around December/January though, so you’re getting something along those lines whether you like it or not.

Hey, no one forced you to come here and look.

This won’t be a proper list, there’s no numbers or anything, it’s just a big heap of music I enjoyed last year enough to think it deserves flagged up to the five folk that will read this.
This edition will be albums, if I can put in a bit of effort there’ll be another for singles, EPs and the like.

There’s going to be lots of embeds, so I’ll stick in a break so as not to slow down the front page of the site.

Just because I’m too lazy to blog much doesn’t mean I’ll miss out on the traditional annual readers’ poll. It’ll just be a bit late instead.

Same deal as previous years, but we’ll run through the formalities again anyway.

Quickie rules &regulations type things:
Answer or skip whatever questions you want, but if a bunch of people answer one question with the same answer it’ll be pretty obvious ballot stuffing.
No ballot stuffing! If it isn’t obvious I probably won’t notice it though.
You can vote for bands, albums etc from anywhere, they don’t have to be Scottish.
Polls close at 11:59 pm on January 11th, results posted whenever I get a chance to count things after that.
This is meant to be a wee bit of fun, so don’t moan about the results when posted!

Aye Tunes Readers’ Poll 2013 Categories

Part 1 – The Best

Best Album – choose up to three, 1 being your favourite, etc. Same goes for all the “best” categories.
Best Single/EP – Basically anything that isn’t an album.
Best Band
Best Solo Artist:
Best New Band/Solo Artist -New is very subjective, if you first heard of them this year, that’ll do.
Best Live Band
Best Music Blog/Website
Best Music Radio Show/Podcast:
Best Venue

Worst Album/Single/EP – Pick one only, whatever you’ve liked the least from the last year. Same goes for all the “worst” categories but one.
Worst Band/Solo Artist
Worst Music Blog/Website/Radio Show/Podcast – big category, so you can pick up to three.
Worst Venue

I’d really meant to post this one before tonight, in order to include a plug for the Christmas Songwriters’s Club gig which probably finished about an hour ago. Like many, if not all, of my plans that one failed.

Enough of me documenting my failures though, we don’t have nearly enough time for that, and on to some Christmas songs.

We See Lights have turned up on the blog before with a Christmas song, but this time round they’ve (finally!) put out a collection of songs recorded way back in 2008, which I’ve been after for ages. Most of the songs have been aired at past Christmas Songwriters’ Club gigs in the past, hence the attempted and failed plug.

Never a stranger to releasing something for Christmas, this year’s festive offering from Lovers Turn To Monsters is like a Christmas greatest hits, rounding up songs from the last few years, and some new additions.

Get your paws on a copy of Now That’s What I Call a Slit Yr Wrists Christmas here, or listen below.

There’s a special intimate gig taking place this Friday with Lovers Turn To Monsters and loads more of the Common records family. Spaces might all be taken, but maybe if you ask really nice over on Facebook you’ll be able to squeeze in.

Jamie Scott used to be the The Japanese War Effort, and released a bunch of stuff under that name that I really liked. Then he stopped being The Japanese War Effort and took up rapping. After a few appearances as Ar Droops he’s got a new name – MC Almond Milk.

Along with the name there’s a mixtape in the works, set for release in February. There was potential for it to be awful, but I’ve had a wee sneak preview of said mixtake, PC World Music, and it’s a blast.

That’s not out until February though, what about now? Well, a Christmas single, of course!

Former Aye Tunes gig stars and blog pals Eddy & the T-Bolts promised me a Christmas song. I then decided not to do the advent calendar, but they delivered the song anyway.

They’ve chosen to cover Darlene Love. This pleases me, since the song in question, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) is one of my favourite things. It turns up here by various folk every year, so now we have another version to add to the list.

Listen to and download the tune below.

Eddy & the T-Bolts play at The 13th Note in Glasgow on Tuesday, 17th December as part of Bastard’s Xmas, with Ross Gilchrist, The Hate 80s and the wonderfully named Destroyevsky.

December 6th and not a single Christmas song posted so far. Why? Well, a couple of reasons. Number one being that my computer took another of its funny turns and didn’t work for several days, number two is that there’s been very little interest in the series. My blogging motivation has been very low all year already, so there was nothing that made me feel there was a pressing need to post stuff.

Added into number two is that working in retail in the run up to Christmas means that free time is as rare as a unicorn, a bad release by Song, by Toad or Gerry Loves Records, a financially successful Aye Tunes gig, Niall from The Spook School keeping his top on, or a good Fatherson song.

Not much time to do stuff then, and since I’ve missed a week already it seems a bit late to start an advent calendar now.

There’s still Christmas music to be posted though, I just won’t be doing it in the usual format.

Since this is getting written on my phone there’s nae music to go here, I’ll shove some stuff up over the weekend if I get a minute.

There’s a lot of people I like doing things for the rest of the month, so I should really pop my head and hands out from under the warmth giving duvet for just long enough to quickly mention them in the hope that someone will read this and be convinced into going to something.

I don’t like the chances of anyone reading this, but hey, strange things happen sometimes.

Thursday 7th NovemberIn Wrecks bring their previously digital only debut EP Creation Myths into the physical World, and launch the CD with a free gig at Bloc. Support comes from the heavily Aye Tunes endorsed A Fight You Can’t Win AND Black International! Three fab bands for no entry fee, marvelous.

Friday 8th NovemberI can’t go out on Friday, which is annoying, since there’s a pair of gigs I fancy, but does save me having to make a choice I suppose.At The Roxy 171 you’ve got The New Fabian Society and the wonderful, fabulous, terribly handsome Birdhead.Down the road at Nice ‘n’ Sleazy there’s more good stuff in the shape of Trapped Mice, Galoshins and Where We Lay Our Heads.Rubbish night to be otherwise engaged.

Saturday 9th NovemberWhen I met Ian from Trapped Mice recently he recommended Saturday’s entertainment to me, which is Enablers at Stereo. Despite a load of material being freely available from their Bandcamp I’m ashamed to admit I’ve still not listened to them ahead of the gig. Normally I wouldn’t fork out cash on a gig when I’ve not heard the band, but since support comes from the dual assault of Adam Stafford and the John Knox Sex Club, both of whom I’d crawl through broken glass to see, and I’m right there, waving my money at someone to let me in.That does mean that I’ve had to turn my back on The Second Hand Marching Band though, who are launching their new single at The Glad Cafe at the same time. With support at that one coming from The Just Joans and Ex-Teens it made for a tough call, but until I get a functional clone I can’t be in two places at once. One day, one day.

That lot will see you through to the weekend, I’ll be back around then to update this here post with more of November’s gigs, since typing all those words already was clearly enough work for one night.

Yeah, I forgot to update this last week. Hands up who is remotely surprised? None of you? Thought so. Enablers were great by the way.Anyway, here’s more stuff.

Wednesday 20th NovemberOne of those gigs where the line up is all folk I like, one has played a gig for me, others almost have, and others are on my wishlist if I ever do that kind of thing again is happening at The 13th Note. Algernon Doll made one of my favourite records of the year this year with Citalo-Pop and played an Elliott Smith song for me at a house gig, so are obviously brilliant. Lovers Turn To Monsters shouldn’t need an introduction round here, since Kyle Wood is consistently one of my favourite artists in the country and has done stuff for me before. Poor Things are the ones who kept getting away, the stars never quite aligning for me to get them on one of my bills. I’ve not seen them in ages either, so it’ll be nice to get caught up there. Lightnin Papa Tam is the dark horse of the bunch, with just the one song, Got Soul, around to listen to so far. One good song though, and Tam has a fine pedigree from previous projects.

Sunday 24th NovemberBlack International again, yay! They’ll be headlining this time round at The 13th Note. Support from Pinact - more on them in the next bit – and Frankeneinstein. I might have to risk running for late buses and venture out on a Sunday for a change.

Thursday 28th NovemberGIG CLASH! At The Old Hairdressers our pals The Yawns are playing, along with a bunch of other bands who use the same practice rooms. More details here.I’m off elsewhere on the night though, along to The Roxy 171 to witness the magnificent Book Group launch their new single. You can get the single and advance tickets in a cheap bundle deal here.Support comes from the also ace Pinact, and an evening of high quality awaits.

Friday 29th NovemberEdinburgh dwellers get their chance to partake in Book Group fun, with a single launch gig at Teviot Row House. See just above this bit for tickets and that.

That should keep you entertained for the rest of the month, while also providing a useful guide to stalking me.